tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post7618324325234086129..comments2024-03-29T01:41:15.713+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-17761652979967144512012-12-22T17:53:01.906+00:002012-12-22T17:53:01.906+00:00And I forgot to say, a very happy Christmas to you...And I forgot to say, a very happy Christmas to you too, and to all readers of this blog.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-91662691169571325532012-12-22T17:51:58.367+00:002012-12-22T17:51:58.367+00:00No one is sure why sparrows have declined in citie...No one is sure why sparrows have declined in cities, when they have always thrived in the past no matter how much human disturbance there was been. One theory that has been put forward is that they are sensitive to the highly toxic benzene in unleaded petrol, so that they disappear from places where the traffic is particularly dense. It's only the very centre of London that has lost them entirely. I should expect that they are still at Heathrow in reasonable numbers, since airports offer large areas of largely undisturbed grassland.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-59942291045360317942012-12-22T15:57:30.718+00:002012-12-22T15:57:30.718+00:00Hello Ralph,
It always saddens me to hear that th...Hello Ralph,<br /><br />It always saddens me to hear that there are so few House Sparrows in London. Although we still have many of them in Spain (the latest census puts them at around the 170 million mark), the declining trend, especially in larger cities, is worrisome, and it scares me to think that there might come a time when their funny and smart antics will be a thing of the past.<br /><br />I recall, though, a host of house sparrows waiting in an orderly and surprisingly quiet half-circle for a traveller to feed them bread crumbs from his sandwhich. This was in Heathrow airport. It was a lovely and unexpected sight.<br /><br />All best and merry Christmas!TinĂºvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-80939960526142582562012-12-21T23:43:22.873+00:002012-12-21T23:43:22.873+00:00Congratulations on seeing a Little Owl out hunting...Congratulations on seeing a Little Owl out hunting. They've been very elusive, and I have only seen them flying from one tree to another. And seeing the Tawny flying was great too, I've only seen him in the air a couple of times over several years. There is now a third parakeet that comes down, another female, and she's a dodgy bird. She bit two people today for no reason. Sounds like your customer. And a very happy Christmas to you too.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-11681079361190507402012-12-21T20:18:00.977+00:002012-12-21T20:18:00.977+00:00Hi Ralph was late coming to the park today so didn...Hi Ralph was late coming to the park today so didn't get to see you to wish you all the best for Christmas .<br />This afternoon I had a parakeet eating nuts from my hand but it was very fussy , the nuts were mixed and it didn't like cashews , it would throw them on the floor and carry on eating the others .<br />I stayed on until the light fell and watched a little owl out hunting which was great , then watched the male tawny fly off in search of food Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03439862301985482249noreply@blogger.com